The essentials for a growing baby in-utero (and a nursling, too!):
Makes me want to barf just looking at the picture!
Does it sound weird to you that I skip the prenatal vitamin so strongly encouraged to take during pregnancy? Don't tell my midwife! Actually, the fact is that most vitamins unless used to cure or help a certain deficiency are more harmful than good when combined with a healthy diet. As long as I get plenty of raw milk, grass-fed beef, organic chicken and eggs, and all the greens and fresh, local fruits one can acquire, I'm better off without the over-processed, synthetic, and stuffed with additive-little pills. I'll pass, thank you. Instead? My process includes:
Artic Cod Liver Oil: OOh, so essential... Covers all the omegas, DHA's, EHA's, Vitamin D and Vitamin A... makes a very smart and healthy baby! Also makes me gag and occasionally throw up. Sadly, this baby has gotten the least amount than the others as I just can't do puke at 9am. Sorry, Honey Bean, if you're a stick short, you know why.
Liquid B12 Vitamins: Here's where your needed folic acid comes from. Great to start this before conceiving as well as throughout the first trimester.
Calcium Magnesium: Baby in utero and nursing takes the calcium right out of your bones if you don't have enough, did you know that? This is essential! Plus, if you get leg cramps, you may be low, so stock up. This also makes me sleep like a baby, pun intended.
For the end months:
Chlorophyll: Essentially this does the same as an iron supplement, it builds your blood and is a powerful detoxifier (read: will help that end of the pregnancy constipation that many experience!). It also makes your water taste yummy (like mint), so it encourages you to drink more. Cheers to plants (and drinking them!). This is essential for the last two months of pregnancy (at least). I think chlorophyll combined with Floradix (read below) is what saved my energy level from losing so much blood in my c-sections (with Kid I was the worst case of blood loss they had ever seen, yet I managed to be the fastest recovery from a c-sec they had ever seen. Yay chlorophyll!).
Floradix: I can't say enough for what this can do to your pregnancy. This is so vital to take the last 2-3 months. If you can afford it, take all pregnancy, but it's pretty pricey. This is an iron/herb supplement safe for pregnancy. The only iron supplement out there that is not constipating and completely from whole foods, not synthetic. It's amazing. For those of you who are anemic, it will be your best friend. I swear by it. The beauty, it's company makes multi-vitamins for kids as well from whole foods... I usually give my kids a shot or two if I can tell they're fighting something.
Well, that's about it. Of course, I can go on and on about the importance of having a pure and healthy diet. If you keep things raw and the way our Maker intended, most of your vitamins will come from those items: eggs, milk, meat, fruit, veggies, nuts, etc.
If I can only kick my pickle addiciton... I can't seem to find natural, home-canned pickles like my Grandma Peters used to make... everything, even organic pickles contain calcium chloride!!! Sorry, bean, must adjust. Pickles are a necessity at this point.
Would write more, but unfortunately, just typing about these important nutrients are making me need to take a trip to the porcelain throne. Sigh.
Barf on.
Is there anything that I am missing that needs to be added to my baby making diet? Enlighten me!